Careless Whisper
by sundayxmorningx
Summary: Eli finally takes the time to reflect on those he might have hurt - friends, family, and especially Clare.


**A/N: I don't own Degrassi. I also don't own George Michael and his song "Careless Whisper." This is just a one-shot I thought of after watching "Extraordinary Machine" part 1 and listening to more 80s songs.**

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><p><em>And I'm never gonna dance again<em>  
><em>Guilty feet have got no rhythm<em>

Eli read the label in front of him.

DEGRASSI COMMUNITY SCHOOL

There was a slightly bitter taste that came to his mouth. There were so many memories.

Clare.

Adam.

Fitz.

Clare.

Imogen.

Jake.

Clare.

Adam is his best friend, but they started to drift after Spring Break – Adam had the radio, Eli had the play. Adam became friends with Dave, Eli became friends with Fiona. They still had each other's back, though – Adam told him about Drew's possible PTSD and his struggles to look more masculine, Eli told him of his journey to getting better with the help of medication and therapy.

But he didn't tell Adam everything.

Fitz was no longer in the picture but he still did some lasting damage. Having a knife potentially penetrate his body wasn't something he could forget overnight. It also didn't help that he came back after juvie. Eli couldn't forget what happened at Vegas Night because of his return. He was always alert – seeing if Fitz would strike again. He never did.

Yet that might have been the trigger.

Imogen was a tough one. Eli knew that she liked him and he tried to set her straight but she wouldn't give up. At some point, she was good for him – she helped him find creativity again by putting a halt to his medication. Then it went downhill from there. He started to lose it and he couldn't stop. Everything felt right but he couldn't have been more wrong – he used Imogen. The real feelings she felt for him were taken advantage of. The end results weren't a pretty sight.

He could still feel the sting of her hand coming across his cheek.

Jake didn't help things either. The way he kind of just swooped in and whisked Clare away irked Eli. That was supposed to be his job, not some plaid-ridden pretty boy. So he tried to whisk Clare away – compliment her, set up dates with her, tried to make Jake look like the bad guy. He had it all figured out. It was fool proof. Somehow, though, Jake got out of it unscathed. He still came out the hero.

And he got the girl.

Clare was happy. She was happy and he got in the way of that. He knows now that it could have been prevented if he had just taken his pills. Eli would have slowly gotten better. He would know what was going on, fix it, then maybe pursue Clare again. In a way, Clare was trying to tell him that – by taking that break, they could focus on themselves and that would have improved their relationship. As always though, Eli took the wrong way.

He took it the wrong way and all hell broke loose.

Everyone said he needed help. Everyone could see that he was slowly crumbling.

Why didn't he just listen?

A car's engine turned off behind him. He turned around and Saw Bullfrog and CeCe exit the car.

There was no denying the worry on Bullfrog's face, "Ready to go, son?"

CeCe tried to hold back tears and that alone was heartbreaking.

His parents were clueless. It's not that they were paying attention, they did monitor him. Eli knew how to get around that, though – school and the play were his two escapes. He spent at least 8 hours in school, sometimes longer because of the play; he could also get out of the house to meet with the cast and crew. A part of him felt guilty. They were his parents after all - parents who have always trusted him and given him freedom.

However, that trust and freedom started to disappear when they slowly caught on to his erratic behavior.

Eli only nodded, following them into the car. He gave the school one last look. There was something different – a petite auburn haired girl now stood behind the doors. Her stance was cold but her face was soft.

Eli couldn't meet Clare's eyes. He was too embarrassed.

_"You need help."_

This time, he would listen.

_And I'm never gonna dance again  
>The way I danced with you<em>

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><p><strong>AN: Well, this is what happens when you can't sleep at night. Random thoughts come together. Haha. Please review and let me know what you think? **


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